Grilled Shrimp Salad & Holiday Entertaining Ideas

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and the Coca-Cola Company. All opinions are mine alone. #LetYourHolidaySparkle #CollectiveBias

The Holidays are such a great time of year. They give me many opportunities to see friends and family and for us to connect and spend time together. One thing that I love to do is cook so I planned a dinner for my wife and I and a few friends, and we had dinner and played games. It was a fun evening made better by great food and smartwater sparkling water. I love the taste, and it added a great element to our meal. I used sugar crystals to rim the glasses and we decorated our table beautifully. Combined with the great food, it was a perfect evening. Today I want to share the recipes for the salads, along with how to rim your drinking glasses and more about the smartwater sparkling water which we got at Albertsons when we were doing our grocery shopping.

First – to make the Grilled Shrimp, grilled steak or grilled chicken salads, you will need the following:
(each person will pick one meat, and that is what you will use – so when it says per person – it means per person eating that specific meat)

• 10 pre-cooked shrimp per person
• 1 uncooked thin cut steak per person
• 1 uncooked chicken breast per person
• 1 head of green leaf (or preferred) lettuce
• tomatoes
• green peppers
• green onions
• sunflower seeds
• avocado
• dressings (we used Ranch, Italian, and Raspberry vinegarette)
• shredded parmesan cheese
• shredded cheese of choice
• 1 orange, lime or lemon
• sugar crystals (sprinkles)
• smartwater sparkling water
• butter

To put your salads together, you will want to:

1. First, we will rim the glasses so they are ready to go. To do this, you will take a fruit like a lemon, orange or lime and cut it in half, then run the open end around the top of the glass making sure the juice is getting the rim wet. Immediately turn it upside down and place into the crystals (sprinkles poured onto a flat plate just bigger than the rim of the glass). Softly move the glass in half circles and around the plate to coat the rim of the glass where you got it wet. Put the glass right side up and the rim should be good. Add ice cubes and the smartwater sparkling water.
2. Next, wash the lettuce and lightly shake to get the water off the put onto the plates in even amounts
3. dice tomatoes, chop the pepper and green onion and set aside
4. slice avocado and set aside
5. season meats (for the steak we used Montreal Steak, Roasted Garlic and Herb and Onion Salt, on the Chicken we used Chicken Steak Seasoning, Onion Salt, and Lemon Pepper)
6. Before placing meat on the grill, you will want to cut it into strips and make sure you pull the tails off of the shrimp
7. Once you have all of your veggies ready, you will start cooking the meat, try and do them all at the same time, so they are all still hot when served. This will be done right before eating. Cook until internal temps reach recommended cooking for each meat (165 degrees for steak and chicken, for the shrimp until flesh is pearly and opaque).
8. Once the meat is cooked, place it on top of the lettuce and then drizzle the desired dressing. Now you will top with the veggies like the tomatoes, peppers, onions, avocado, and seeds if desired. Then sprinkle some cheese on top and serve.

These are simple to put together and taste amazing when paired with the smartwater sparkling water. It has a great taste thanks to being vapor distilled with electrolytes and it is perfect for entertaining, especially when I am entertaining. I love the bubbles in the water and how it elevates my dining experience. Pair with the sparkling water, my meal not only tastes better but looks better – especially with the crystal rimmed glasses.

What is your favorite food to pair with smartwater sparkling for entertaining and holiday parties?